Original scientific paper
The Old Inside the New: on the Semantics of Spoliation of Marble Fragments in Dubrovnik and on the Elafiti Islands
Ivana Tomas
; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Abstract
This paper focuses on the phenomenon of reused marble fragments and their incorporation into new ensembles, with regards to the previous theoretical standpoint and methodology of the research. In different historical periods the intended use of spolia, i.e., ancient elements taken from certain building materials, was often a means to convey status, power and antiquity. Viewed conceptually, the spolia as a bearer of new meanings and significations could be understood as a medium with a symbolic message in the public or private space. Of the particular interest to spolia studies has always been a luxurious marble because its reuse had an aesthetic and symbolic connotation. Since the classical antiquity this noble material was perceived as an attribute of political and social prestige, and in many cases its use had a specific ideological meaning. The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the relationship between the spoliate marble pieces and their new settings, and mainly to detect the historical, artistic and ideological reasons for their implementation into new contexts on selected case studies in Dubrovnik and on the Elafiti Islands during the Middle Ages and Early Modern times.
Keywords
spolia; reuse; marble; medium; Dubrovnik; the Elafiti Islands
Hrčak ID:
304965
URI
Publication date:
29.6.2023.
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